Method and apparatus for controlling scan period in wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a sensor network, machine type communication (MTC), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and technology for internet of things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the above technologies, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method includes determining whether a scan period of a first connectivity scheme is changeable based on a service discovered during the scan period of the first connectivity scheme, if the scan period of the first connectivity is changeable, detecting a state of a second connectivity scheme, and changing the scan period of the first connectivity scheme based on the detected state of the second connectivity scheme.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Koreanpatent application filed on Feb. 4, 2016 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office and assigned Serial number 10-2016-0013910, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for controllinga scan period in a wireless communication system. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for adaptivelycontrolling a scan period for detecting a short range communicationsignal in a wireless communication system.

BACKGROUND

The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network wherehumans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internetof things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange andprocess information without human intervention. The Internet ofeverything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and thebig data processing technology through connection with a cloud server,has emerged.

As technology elements, such as “sensing technology”, “wired/wirelesscommunication and network infrastructure”, “service interfacetechnology”, and “security technology” have been demanded for IoTimplementation, a sensor network, a machine-to-machine (M2M)communication, machine type communication (MTC), and so forth have beenrecently researched.

Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technologyservices that create a new value to human life by collecting andanalyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to avariety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city,smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliancesand advanced medical services through convergence and combinationbetween existing information technology (IT) and various industrialapplications.

Data which a user needs to store or maintain per use is exponentiallyincreased according to implementation of IoT, so it becomes general tostore data in a cloud storage managed and possessed by a hosting companyinstead of storing the data in a memory of a hardware with limitedcapacity.

Devices in which IoT is implemented support at least one connectivityscheme for a plurality of short range communications for a communicationbetween things or devices. Here, a connectivity scheme may include aBluetooth (BT) scheme, a Wi-Fi direct scheme, a peer to peer (P2P)scheme, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) scheme, a Zigbee scheme, and/or thelike which may use a part of an industrial scientific medical (ISM) bandas a communication frequency band.

Further, according to implementation of IoT, a mobile device may beconnected to one or more other devices based on at least oneconnectivity scheme supported in the mobile device, so a user of themobile device can use a plurality of services. A mobile device mayaccess an external device, be connected to the external device orcontrol the external device, and/or detect whether there is the externaldevice through at least one application which is being run on the mobiledevice without user's intervention. So, a plurality of connections whichare based on a short range communication may occur in one mobile device.In this case, a scan operation of a connectivity scheme for connectingan external device is automatically run in a mobile device, sointerference may occur in a connection of a service which is being usedthereby performance of the service may be degraded.

So, there is a need for controlling a scan operation for a connectivityscheme which is automatically run by considering a service which isbeing used on a mobile device.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a scanperiod in a wireless communication system.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and anapparatus for controlling a scan period for a mobile device to detect asignal for a short range communication in a wireless communicationsystem.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and anapparatus for controlling a scan operation for detecting a signal for ashort range communication by considering a service which is being usedon a mobile device in a wireless communication system.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and anapparatus for adaptively controlling a scan period for detecting asignal for a short range communication by considering state informationof a service which a mobile device is using, remaining battery of themobile device, a use history for scan information of the mobile device,and/or the like in a wireless communication system.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method forcontrolling a scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communicationsystem is provided. The method includes determining whether a scanperiod of a first connectivity scheme is changeable based on a servicediscovered during the scan period of the first connectivity scheme, ifthe scan period of the first connectivity is changeable, detecting astate of a second connectivity scheme, and changing the scan period ofthe first connectivity scheme based on the detected state of the secondconnectivity scheme.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a mobiledevice in a wireless communication system is provided. The mobile deviceincludes at least one processor configured to determine whether a scanperiod of a first connectivity scheme is changeable based on a servicediscovered during the scan period of the first connectivity scheme, todetect a state of a second connectivity scheme if the scan period of thefirst connectivity is changeable, and to change the scan period of thefirst connectivity scheme based on the detected state of the secondconnectivity scheme, and a transceiver configured to perform a scanoperation under a control of the at least one processor.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a situation in which amobile device redetermines a scan period in a wireless communicationsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a change in throughput ofa mobile device according to a change in a Bluetooth low energy (BLE)scan interval in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4A schematically illustrates an example of a situation in which amobile device redetermines a BLE scan period in a wireless communicationsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B schematically illustrates another example of a situation inwhich a mobile device redetermines a BLE scan period in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5A schematically illustrates another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5B schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5C schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates an inner structure of a mobile devicein a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

Although ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” and so forth will beused to describe various components, those components are not limitedherein. The terms are used only for distinguishing one component fromanother component. For example, a first component may be referred to asa second component and likewise, a second component may also be referredto as a first component, without departing from the teaching of theinventive concept. The term “and/or” used herein includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing variousembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understoodthat the terms “comprises” and/or “has,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of a stated feature, number, step,operation, component, element, or combination thereof, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,numbers, steps, operations, components, elements, or combinationsthereof.

The terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, havethe same meanings as terms that are generally understood by thoseskilled in the art, as long as the terms are not differently defined. Itshould be understood that terms defined in a generally-used dictionaryhave meanings coinciding with those of terms in the related technology.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may include communication functionality. For example,an electronic device may be a smart phone, a tablet personal computer(PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, alaptop PC, a netbook PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portablemultimedia player (PMP), an mp3 player, a mobile medical device, acamera, a wearable device (e.g., a head-mounted device (HMD), electronicclothes, electronic braces, an electronic necklace, an electronicappcessory, an electronic tattoo, or a smart watch), and/or the like.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may be a smart home appliance with communicationfunctionality. A smart home appliance may be, for example, a television,a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, an audio, a refrigerator, an airconditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washer, adryer, an air purifier, a set-top box, a television (TV) box (e.g.,Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a gaming console, anelectronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, an electronicpicture frame, and/or the like.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may be a medical device (e.g., magnetic resonanceangiography (MRA) device, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device,computed tomography (CT) device, an imaging device, or an ultrasonicdevice), a navigation device, a global positioning system (GPS)receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), anautomotive infotainment device, a naval electronic device (e.g., navalnavigation device, gyroscope, or compass), an avionic electronic device,a security device, an industrial or consumer robot, and/or the like.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may be furniture, part of a building/structure, anelectronic board, electronic signature receiving device, a projector,various measuring devices (e.g., water, electricity, gas orelectro-magnetic wave measuring devices), and/or the like that includecommunication functionality.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may be any combination of the foregoing devices. Inaddition, it will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the artthat an electronic device according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure is not limited to the foregoing devices.

Hereinafter, a mobile device and devices connected to the mobile deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be anycombination of the foregoing devices. In addition, it will be apparentto one having ordinary skill in the art that an electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure is notlimited to the foregoing devices.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method and anapparatus for controlling a scan period in a wireless communicationsystem.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method and anapparatus for controlling a scan period for a mobile device to detect asignal for a short range communication in a wireless communicationsystem.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method and anapparatus for controlling a scan operation for detecting a signal for ashort range communication by considering a service which is being usedon a mobile device in a wireless communication system.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method and anapparatus for adaptively controlling a scan period for detecting asignal for a short range communication by considering state informationof a service which a mobile device is using, remaining battery of themobile device, a use history for scan information of the mobile device,and/or the like in a wireless communication system.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobiledevice may be an electronic device.

A mobile device according to an embodiment of the present disclosuresupports at least one connectivity scheme for a short rangecommunication. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, aconnectivity scheme may include a Bluetooth (BT) scheme, a Wi-Fi directscheme, a peer to peer (P2P) scheme, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE)scheme, a Zigbee scheme, and/or the like which may use a part of anindustrial scientific medical (ISM) band as a communication frequencyband.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case that amobile device uses a plurality of connectivity schemes, it will beassumed that the plurality of connectivity schemes may use the samefrequency band. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, in acase that a mobile device uses a plurality of connectivity schemes, itwill be assumed that each of the plurality of connectivity schemes mayperform a time division multiplexing (TDM) communication operation. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case that a mobiledevice uses a plurality of connectivity schemes, it will be assumed thateach of the plurality of connectivity schemes may perform a TDMcommunication operation on the same frequency band.

It will be assumed that a mobile device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure activates at least one of connectivity scheme asdescribed above for performing a scan operation for a short rangecommunication. So, a scan operation may be automatically run on themobile device by a scan period of the activated connectivity scheme.

The mobile device performs a scan operation based on a predeterminedscan period for a corresponding connectivity scheme. If a signal isdetected during a corresponding predetermined scan period, a mobiledevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure determineswhether a scan period of a service which corresponds to the detectedsignal is changeable. If the scan period of the service whichcorresponds to the detected signal is changeable, a mobile deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure may redetermine ascan period for a connectivity scheme which is additionally usable inthe mobile device (hereinafter, will be referred to as sub-connectivityscheme) based on one of or a combination of two or more of whether adevice connected to the mobile device through a connectivity schemewhich is currently being used (hereinafter, will be referred to as mainconnectivity scheme) exists, state information of the main connectivityscheme, remaining battery of the mobile device, a use history for scaninformation of the mobile device, and/or the like.

State information for a main connectivity scheme according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may include throughput of acorresponding connectivity scheme, a channel state, and/or the like.Here, throughput may be determined, for example, by comparing amount ofdata which is transmitted and received through a connection whichcorresponds to a corresponding connectivity scheme with a predetermineddata threshold value. A channel state may be determined, for example, bycomparing a transmission retry count as a count of a transmission retryoperation which is performed if a disconnection situation occurs in acorresponding connection.

For convenience, it will be assumed that a scan operation for detectinga signal for a short range communication which is automatically run on amobile device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is aBLE scan operation. However, a scan operation according to an embodimentof the present disclosure is not limited to only a BLE scan operation,and a scan operation according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be identically applied to a scan operation of aconnectivity scheme used on a mobile device.

Hereinafter, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, a scanoperation may include at least one of an operation of discovering atarget which will be connected based on a connectivity scheme, e.g., anoperation of discovering an external device in a mobile device, anaccessing and connecting operation with the discovered external device,and an operation of transmitting and receiving a signal for acommunication with the connected external device. In various embodimentsof the present disclosure, a scan period includes a scan intervalindicating a period by which a mobile device repetitively performs ascan operation and a scan window which corresponds to a time durationduring which the mobile device performs a scan operation based on thescan interval.

An apparatus and method provided in various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be applied to various communication systems such as along term evolution (LTE) mobile communication system, an LTE-advanced(LTE-A) mobile communication system, a licensed-assisted access(LAA)-LTE mobile communication system, a high speed downlink packetaccess (HSDPA) mobile communication system, a high speed uplink packetaccess (HSUPA) mobile communication system, a high rate packet data(HRPD) mobile communication system proposed in a 3^(rd) generationpartnership project 2 (3GPP2), a wideband code division multiple access(WCDMA) mobile communication system proposed in the 3GPP2, a codedivision multiple access (CDMA) mobile communication system proposed inthe 3GPP2, an institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE)802.16m communication system, an IEEE 802.16e communication system, anevolved packet system (EPS), and a mobile Internet protocol (Mobile IP)system, a digital video broadcast system such as a mobile broadcastservice such as a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service, adigital video broadcasting-handheld (DVP-H), an advanced televisionsystems committee-mobile/handheld (ATSC-M/H) service, and the like, andan Internet protocol television (IPTV), a moving picture experts group(MPEG) media transport (MMT) system and/or the like.

An example of a situation in which a mobile device redetermines a scanperiod in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a situation in which amobile device redetermines a scan period in a wireless communicationsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, in example 100 a, no external device is currentlyconnected to a mobile device 104. Here, it will be assumed that a scanoperation according to a preset connectivity scheme is being run for aconnection with the external device on the mobile device 104. Forexample, it will be assumed that the scan operation which is being runon the mobile device 104 is a BLE scan operation which is based on a BLEscheme. In FIG. 1, a mobile device redetermines a scan period for a BLEscan operation in a wireless communication system, however, the mobiledevice 104 may perform a scan operation according to one of otherconnectivity schemes as well as the BLE scan operation.

Like this, when the mobile device 104 is running the BLE scan operation,the mobile device 104 may set a scan interval applied to the BLE scanoperation for discovering external devices connectable to the mobiledevice 104 to a scan interval of the shortest level 106, e.g., level 1.Here, the scan interval applied to the BLE scan operation may beselected one of time durations which are set by default in the mobiledevice 104. Further, a time duration which corresponds to time which auser of the mobile device wants may be set as a level value of a scaninterval.

For another example, the mobile device 104 may redetermine a scan periodbased on at least one of a scan window and a scan interval included inthe scan period. For example, the mobile device 104 may set each of ascan window and a scan interval to a minimum value. For another example,the mobile device 104 may set a scan window to a maximum value, and seta scan interval to a minimum value.

It will be assumed that a connectable external device, e.g., a TV 102 isdiscovered in a scan interval of level 1.

The mobile device 104 performs a connecting operation with the TV 102,and may control services provided through the TV 102 if the mobiledevice 104 and the TV 102 are connected. For example, the mobile device104 may perform a channel change operation, a volume up or volume downoperation for the TV 102, and/or the like for the TV 102.

Meanwhile, it will be assumed that a main connectivity scheme betweenthe mobile device 104 and the TV 102 is a Wi-Fi scheme. For convenience,in example 100 b, the TV 102 currently connected to the mobile device104. Here, a connection which is set up based on a main connectivityscheme will be referred to as a main connection. The mobile device 104may set a scan interval of a BLE scheme for discovering external deviceswhich are additionally connectable to the mobile device 104 to thelongest level, e.g., level 3 110 order to minimize interference in amain connection 108.

For example, in FIG. 1, it will be assumed that a BLE scan interval maybe set to one of levels 1 to 3, and a time duration is increased by apredetermined amount of time if a level is increased.

Alternatively, for another example, the mobile device 104 mayredetermine a scan period based on at least one of a scan window and ascan interval included in the scan period. For example, the mobiledevice 104 may set a scan window to a minimum value, and set a scaninterval to a maximum value.

In FIG. 1, a mobile device redetermines a BLE scan interval accordingthat an external device is connected to the mobile device based on amain connectivity scheme, however, the mobile device may redetermine aBLE scan interval by additionally considering at least one of stateinformation for a service which is being used in the mobile device andremaining battery of the mobile device, or by considering one of thestate information for the service which is being used in the mobiledevice and the remaining battery of the mobile device.

An example of a situation in which a mobile device redetermines a scanperiod in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 1, andan example of a change in throughput of a mobile device according to achange in a BLE scan interval in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a change in throughput ofa mobile device according to a change in a BLE scan interval in awireless communication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, in example 200, while a BLE scan window 206 isactivated in a mobile device, a Wi-Fi scheme which uses a frequency bandidentical to a frequency band used in a BLE scheme is deactivated. Ifthe Wi-Fi scheme is activated at time at which the BLE scan window 206is terminated, time duration 204 during which 10% throughput which isdecreased on a Wi-Fi deactivated duration 202 is recovered occurs.

Compared to this, in example 210, while a BLE scan window 212 which isset to a time duration shorter than the BLE scan window 206 isactivated, a deactivated duration 214 of the Wi-Fi scheme may becorresponded to the BLE scan window 212. So, 5% throughput decreasedcompared to throughput which is lost on the deactivated duration 202 ofthe Wi-Fi scheme which corresponds to the BLE scan window 206 isdecreased. So, time duration 216 during which the Wi-Fi scheme isactivated and throughput is recovered until normal throughput is alsoshorter than the time duration 204 during which the Wi-Fi scheme isactivated at time at which the BLE scan window 206 is terminated andthroughput is recovered until normal throughput.

As described in FIG. 1, if a BLE scan window is activated based on a BLEscan interval on a situation in which a mobile device is running aservice through a main connectivity scheme, a Wi-Fi scheme whichcorresponds to the main connectivity scheme is deactivated. If the Wi-Fischeme which has been deactivated during the BLE scan interval isactivated again, delay time during which throughput is recovered occurs.So, a BLE scan period according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure needs to be determined by considering delay time during whicha Wi-Fi scheme which has been deactivated during a BLE scan interval isactivated again and throughput is recovered.

So, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile device mayredetermine a scan period of a sub-connectivity scheme with an externaldevice by considering a state of a main connectivity scheme of themobile device. For convenience, a connection which has been set up basedon a sub-connectivity scheme will be referred to as sub connection.

For determining a BLE scan period according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, if a signal is detected during a BLE scan period, itneeds to be determined whether a BLE scan period of a service whichcorresponds to the signal is changeable. For example, if the servicewhich corresponds to the detected signal is a real-time service whichneeds to support data transmission and reception real time such as amultimedia streaming service, an emergency call, and/or the like, theBLE scan period of the service may not be changed.

So, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile device maychange a BLE scan period if a real-time service is not used in asub-connection. Specially, a BLE scan period according to an embodimentof the present disclosure may be changed to one of predetermined levelsas described in FIG. 1. And, at least one of a BLE scan interval and aBLE scan window may be changed according to the changed BLE scan period.Further, a mobile device may stop temporarily a scan operation whichcorresponds to a BLE scan period which is being run or restart the scanoperation which corresponds to the BLE scan period which has beentemporarily stopped.

A criterion for changing a BLE scan period according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure may be determined based on one of stateinformation for a main connectivity scheme of a mobile device, batterypower of the mobile device, and a use history for scan information ofthe mobile device, or based on a combination of two or more of the stateinformation for the main connectivity scheme of the mobile device, thebattery power of the mobile device, and the use history for the scaninformation of the mobile device. Here, the state information for themain connectivity scheme may include throughput of a main connection,amount of scanned data, channel state, and/or the like. Further, amountof data detected during a scan period, and importance of the detecteddata may be used as a criterion for changing a BLE scan period accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

An example of a change in throughput of a mobile device according to achange in a BLE scan interval in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedwith reference to FIG. 2, and an example of a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, for convenience, it will be assumed that a mobiledevice has activated a BLE scheme.

After a connectable service is discovered through a BLE scan operation,a mobile device determines whether a BLE scan period of the discoveredservice is changeable at operation 300. If the discovered service is areal-time service, the mobile device determines to maintain the BLE scanperiod of the discovered service and waits for detection of a signalwhich corresponds to a service of which a BLE scan period is changeable.

If the discovered service is not the real-time service, the mobiledevice proceeds to operation 302 in order to determine criteria forredetermining a BLE scan period. The mobile device collects stateinformation of a main connectivity scheme, and checks remaining battery,a use history for scan information, and/or the like according to anembodiment of the present disclosure at operation 302 and proceeds tooperation 304. The mobile device redetermines a BLE scan period of asub-connection corresponding to a predetermined criterion based on thecollected state information of the main connectivity scheme, theremaining battery, the use history for the scan information, and/or thelike. Criteria for redetermining a BLE scan period of a sub-connectionin a mobile device will be described below, and a detailed descriptionthereof will be omitted herein.

Although FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, various changescould be made to FIG. 3. For example, although shown as a series ofoperations, various operations in FIG. 3 could overlap, occur inparallel, occur in a different order, or occur multiple times.

An example of a process of redetermining a BLE scan period in a mobiledevice in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 3, andan example of a situation in which a mobile device redetermines a BLEscan period in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIG. 4A.

FIG. 4A schematically illustrates an example of a situation in which amobile device redetermines a BLE scan period in a wireless communicationsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4A, it will be assumed that a mobile device 402 hasactivated a connectivity scheme, e.g., a Wi-Fi scheme, with an externaldevice. In FIG. 4A, it will be assumed that a user is playing a movingpicture on the mobile device 402. In this case, the mobile device 402and the TV 400 are located within a preset distance, so the mobiledevice 402 may detect a device supporting a Wi-Fi scheme, e.g., the TV400 and display a screen indicating that the TV 400 which is connectablebased on the Wi-Fi scheme has been detected on a display of the mobiledevice 402. For example, the screen may be implemented with a form of anicon or a pop-up window expressing the TV 400 which is connectable tothe mobile device 402 based on the Wi-Fi scheme, for example, an icon ora pop-up window expressing a model name of the TV 400, and/or the like.

In FIG. 4A, it will be assumed that the user selects a connection withthe TV 400 through the icon or the pop-up window which is displayed onthe display of the mobile device 402. That is, in FIG. 4A, it will beassumed that the mobile device 402 detects that the connection betweenthe mobile device 402 and the TV 400 is selected. It will be assumedthat a BLE scheme is activated for discovering a target for asub-connection in the mobile device 402 while the mobile device 402 andthe TV 400 maintain a main connection through the Wi-Fi scheme.

Since the BLE scheme is activated for discovering the target for thesub-connection, the mobile device 402 performs a BLE scan operationbased on a predetermined BLE scan period. At this time, it will beassumed that a criterion for redetermining a BLE scan period isthroughput of the Wi-Fi scheme as a main connectivity scheme. Forexample, it will be assumed that the BLE scan period is determined asone of three levels, and a level 2 is a default BLE scan period.Further, for example, it will be assumed that the more increased a levelis, the more increased, a BLE scan interval is. Alternatively, it willbe assumed that the more increased a level is, the more increased, oneof a BLE scan interval or a BLE scan window is, or the more decreasedthe level is, the more decreased, one of the BLE scan interval or theBLE scan window is.

In an embodiment in FIG. 4A, the mobile device 402 compares throughputof a Wi-Fi connection 404 between the mobile device 402 and the TV 400as a main connection with threshold throughput by a predeterminedperiod. If the throughput of the Wi-Fi connection 404 is greater than orequal to the threshold throughput, a possibility that relatively largeinterference may occur due to a BLE scan operation is high, for example,a possibility that interference greater than or equal to thresholdinterference may occur due to the BLE scan operation is high, so themobile device 402 may increase a BLE scan period from a default level bya preset level, e.g., one level. If the throughput of the Wi-Ficonnection 404 is less than the threshold throughput, a possibility thatrelatively large interference may occur due to the BLE scan operation isrelatively low, for example, a possibility that interference greaterthan or equal to threshold interference may occur due to the BLE scanoperation is low, so the mobile device 402 may decrease the BLE scanperiod from the default level by a preset level, e.g., one level.

An example of a situation in which a mobile device redetermines a BLEscan period in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has been described with referenceto FIG. 4A, and another example of a situation in which a mobile deviceredetermines a BLE scan period in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 4B.

FIG. 4B schematically illustrates another example of a situation inwhich a mobile device redetermines a BLE scan period in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4B, it will be assumed that a mobile device 402 hasactivated a connectivity scheme, e.g., a BT scheme, with an externaldevice. In FIG. 4B, it will be assumed that a user is playing a music onthe mobile device 402. In this case, the mobile device 402 and a devicesupporting the BT scheme, e.g., the speaker 410 are located within apreset distance, so the mobile device 402 may detect the speaker 410 anddisplay a screen indicating that the speaker 410 has been detected on adisplay of the mobile device 402. For example, the screen may beimplemented with a form of an icon or a pop-up window expressing thespeaker 410 which is connectable to the mobile device 402 based on theBT scheme, for example, an icon or a pop-up window expressing a modelname of the speaker 410, and/or the like.

In FIG. 4B, it will be assumed that the user selects a connection withthe speaker 410 through the icon or the pop-up window which is displayedon the display of the mobile device 402. That is, in FIG. 4B, it will beassumed that the mobile device 402 detects that the connection betweenthe mobile device 402 and the speaker 410 is selected. It will beassumed that the mobile device 402 and the speaker 410 maintain a mainconnection which corresponds to the BT scheme, and the mobile device 402activates the BT scheme for a sub-connection. So, the mobile device 402performs a BT scan operation based on a predetermined BT scan period. Atthis time, it will be assumed that the BT scan period is adjusted to apreset level according to throughput of a BT connection as a mainconnection.

In FIG. 4B, it will be assumed that the BT scan period is determined asone of three levels, and a level 2 is a default BT scan period. Further,in FIG. 4B, for example, it will be assumed that the more increased alevel is, the more increased, a BT scan interval is. Alternatively, itwill be assumed that the more increased a level is, the more increased,one of a BT scan interval or a BT scan window is, or the more decreasedthe level is, the more decreased, one of the BT scan interval or the BTscan window is.

In an embodiment in FIG. 4B, the mobile device 402 compares throughputof the BT connection 414 between the mobile device 402 and the speaker410 as a main connection with preset threshold throughput by apredetermined period. If the throughput of the BT connection 414 isgreater than or equal to the threshold throughput, a possibility thatrelatively large interference may occur due to a BT scan operation ishigh, for example, a possibility that interference greater than or equalto threshold interference may occur due to the BT scan operation ishigh, so the mobile device 402 may increase a BT scan period from adefault level by a preset level, e.g., one level.

If the throughput of the BT connection 414 is less than the thresholdthroughput, a possibility that relatively large interference may occurdue to the BT scan operation is relatively low, for example, apossibility that interference greater than or equal to thresholdinterference may occur due to the BT scan operation is low, so themobile device 402 may decrease a BT scan period from a default level bya preset level, e.g., one level.

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, an operation of redetermining a scan period in amobile device, a criterion used for redetermining a scan period, and alevel used for changing a scan period are only examples, so an operationof redetermining a scan period in a mobile device, a criterion used forredetermining a scan period, and a level used for changing a scan periodaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implementedwith various combinations and various levels.

Operations of redetermining a BLE scan period based on other examples ofa criterion for a mobile device to control a BLE scan period in awireless communication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C, and 6.

Another example of a process of redetermining a BLE scan period in amobile device in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIG. 5A.

FIG. 5A schematically illustrates another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5A, it will be noted that a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in FIG. 5A is a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a case that themobile device uses whether there is a service which is being runningthrough a Wi-Fi scheme, throughput of a Wi-Fi connection, a transmissionretry count of a Wi-Fi connection, and whether information collectedduring a BLE scan operation is used as a criterion for redetermining aBLE scan period upon determining the BLE scan period.

In FIG. 5A, after a connectable service is discovered through on a BLEscan operation, a mobile device determines whether the discoveredservice is a real-time service in order to determine whether a BLE scanperiod of the discovered service is changeable at operation 500. If thediscovered service is the real-time service, the mobile device proceedsto operation 516. The mobile device maintains the BLE scan period atoperation 516.

If the discovered service is not the real-time service, the mobiledevice proceeds to operation 504. The mobile device determines whetherpower of an apparatus which corresponds to the discovered service is onat operation 504. For example, the apparatus which corresponds to thediscovered service may include a display, a speaker, and/or the likeequipped in the mobile device. If the power of the apparatus whichcorresponds to the discovered service is off, the mobile devicedetermines not to use the apparatus which corresponds to the discoveredservice, and proceeds to operation 506. The mobile device increases aBLE scan period by a predetermined level, e.g., one level thereby theBLE scan period is longer than a BLE scan period which is currently set.In an embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in FIG. 5A, it willbe assumed that a BLE scan period is set to level 2 among predetermined3 levels as a default BLE scan period, and the more increased a levelis, the loner a BLE scan period is.

If the power of the apparatus which corresponds to the discoveredservice is on, the mobile device proceeds to operation 508. The mobiledevice determines whether a main connectivity scheme, e.g., a Wi-Fischeme is on, that is, whether a Wi-Fi function is activated atoperation 508. If the Wi-Fi scheme is not on, that is, if the Wi-Fifunction is off, the mobile device proceeds to operation 502. The mobiledevice decreases a BLE scan period by a predetermined level, e.g., onelevel thereby the BLE scan period is shorter than the BLE scan periodwhich is currently set.

If the Wi-Fi scheme is on, the mobile device proceeds to operation 510.The mobile device determines whether there is a service which is beingrun through the Wi-Fi scheme at operation 510. If there is no servicewhich is being run through the Wi-Fi scheme, the mobile device proceedsto operation 502.

If there is the service which is being run through the Wi-Fi scheme, themobile device proceeds to operation 512 in order to check a channelstate of a Wi-Fi connection. The mobile device is connected through theWi-Fi scheme, and determines whether a transmission retry count of theWi-Fi connection is greater than a predetermined threshold count atoperation 512. If the transmission retry count of the Wi-Fi connectionis greater than the predetermined threshold count, the mobile devicedetermines that the channel state of the Wi-Fi connection is not goodand proceeds to operation 506. The mobile device increases a BLE scanperiod by a predetermined level, e.g., one level thereby the BLE scanperiod is longer than a BLE scan period which is currently set atoperation 506.

Although not shown in FIG. 5A, if the transmission retry count of theWi-Fi connection is greater than the predetermined threshold count, themobile device may proceed to operation 518, determine whetherinformation collected through a BLE scan operation while a previousWi-Fi connection is maintained is used at operation 518, and determine aBLE scan period based on the determined result.

If the transmission retry count of the Wi-Fi connection less than orequal to the predetermined threshold count, the mobile device proceedsto operation 514. The mobile device determines whether throughput of theWi-Fi connection is greater than predetermined threshold throughput atoperation 514. For example, if the mobile device performs adownload/upload operation through the Wi-Fi connection, throughput ofthe Wi-Fi connection may be greater than or equal to the predeterminedthreshold throughput. That is, operation 514 is for determining whetherthe throughput of the Wi-Fi connection is increased.

If the throughput of the Wi-Fi connection is less than or equal to thepredetermined threshold throughput, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 516. The mobile device maintains a BLE scan period atoperation 516. For another example, if the throughput of the Wi-Ficonnection is equal to the predetermined threshold throughput, themobile device may decrease a BLE scan period by a predetermined level,e.g., one level in order to decrease interference due to a BLE scanoperation.

If the throughput of the Wi-Fi connection is greater than thepredetermined threshold throughput, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 518. The mobile device determines whether informationcollected through a BLE scan operation while a previous Wi-Fi connectionis maintained is used at operation 518. If the information collectedthrough a BLE scan operation while a previous Wi-Fi connection ismaintained is used, the mobile device proceeds to operation 516. Themobile device maintains a BLE scan period at operation 516.

If the information collected through the BLE scan operation while theprevious Wi-Fi connection is maintained is not used, the mobile devicedetermines that a possibility that the information collected through theBLE scan operation while the previous Wi-Fi connection is maintained isnot used is high, and proceeds to operation 506. The mobile device mayset a BLE scan period to a BLE scan period which is increased by apredetermined level, e.g., one level compared to a currently set BLEscan period.

Although FIG. 5A illustrates another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various changes could be made to FIG. 5A. For example,although shown as a series of operations, various operations in FIG. 5Acould overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times.

Another example of a process of redetermining a BLE scan period in amobile device in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has been described with referenceto FIG. 5A, and still another example of a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 5B.

FIG. 5B schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5B, an embodiment in FIG. 5B additionally considersremaining battery and consumed current of a mobile device as well ascriteria considered as criteria for redetermining a BLE scan period whendetermining a BLE scan period in a process of redetermining a BLE scanperiod in FIG. 5A.

In FIG. 5B, operations 500 to 510 are the same as FIG. 5A, and adetailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

If there is no service which is being run through the Wi-Fi scheme, themobile device proceeds to operation 520. The mobile device determineswhether remaining battery of the mobile device is greater than apredetermined battery threshold value at operation 520. If the remainingbattery of the mobile device is less than or equal to the predeterminedbattery threshold value, the mobile device proceeds to operation 506.The mobile device increases a BLE scan period by a predetermined level,e.g., one level thereby the BLE scan period is longer than a BLE scanperiod which is currently set in order to minimize power consumption ofthe mobile device at operation 506.

If the remaining battery of the mobile device is greater than thepredetermined battery threshold value, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 522. Here, operation 522 is an operation of determiningwhether consumed current is temporarily increased due to an arbitraryoperation in a case that the mobile device performs the arbitraryoperation. The mobile device determines whether amount of consumedcurrent of the mobile device is less than predetermined currentthreshold value at operation 522. If the amount of the consumed currentof the mobile device is greater than or equal to the predeterminedcurrent threshold value, the mobile device determines that consumedcurrent is temporarily increased due to the arbitrary operation, andproceeds to operation 502.

If the amount of the consumed current of the mobile device is less thanthe predetermined current threshold value, the mobile device determinesthat consumed current is not temporarily increased due to the arbitraryoperation, and proceeds to operation 516.

Other operations which are not described in FIG. 5B may be the same asor similar to operations which have been described in FIG. 5A, so adetailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Although FIG. 5B illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various changes could be made to FIG. 5B. For example,although shown as a series of operations, various operations in FIG. 5Bcould overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times.

Still another example of a process of redetermining a BLE scan period ina mobile device in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has been described with referenceto FIG. 5B, and still another example of a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 5C.

FIG. 5C schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5C, an embodiment in FIG. 5C additionally considerswhether there is a service which is being run through a Wi-Ficonnection, throughput of the Wi-Fi connection, and a transmission retrycount of the Wi-Fi connection as well as criteria considered as criteriafor redetermining a BLE scan period when determining the BLE scan periodin a process of redetermining a BLE scan period in FIG. 5A.

In FIG. 5C, operations 500 to 512 are the same as FIG. 5A, so a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted herein.

A mobile device determines whether throughput of a Wi-Fi connection isgreater than a predetermined threshold throughput at operation 514. Ifthe throughput of the Wi-Fi connection is less than or equal to thepredetermined threshold throughput, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 516. The mobile device maintains a BLE scan period atoperation 516.

If the throughput of the Wi-Fi connection is greater than thepredetermined threshold throughput, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 506. The mobile device increases a BLE scan period by apredetermined level, e.g., one level thereby the BLE scan period islonger than a BLE scan period which is currently set.

Other operations which are not described in FIG. 5C may be the same asor similar to operations which have been described in FIGS. 5A and 5B,so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Although FIG. 5C illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various changes could be made to FIG. 5C. For example,although shown as a series of operations, various operations in FIG. 5Ccould overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times.

Still another example of a process of redetermining a BLE scan period ina mobile device in a wireless communication system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has been described with referenceto FIG. 5C, and still another example of a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, it will be noted that a process of redetermining aBLE scan period in a mobile device in FIG. 6 is a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a case that themobile device considers only remaining battery and consumed current ofthe mobile device as a criterion for redetermining a BLE scan periodupon determining the BLE scan period.

In FIG. 6, after a connectable service is discovered through a BLE scanoperation, a mobile device determines whether the discovered service isa real-time service in order to determine whether a BLE scan period ofthe discovered service is changeable at operation 600. If the discoveredservice is the real-time service, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 606. The mobile device maintains a BLE scan period of asub-connection at operation 606.

If the discovered service is not the real-time service, the mobiledevice proceeds to operation 602. The mobile device determines whetherremaining battery of the mobile device is greater than predeterminedbattery threshold value at operation 602. If the remaining battery ofthe mobile device is less than or equal to the predetermined batterythreshold value, the mobile device proceeds to operation 608. The mobiledevice increases the BLE scan period by a predetermined level, e.g., onelevel in order to minimize power consumption of the mobile device atoperation 608.

If the remaining battery of the mobile device is greater than thepredetermined battery threshold value, the mobile device proceeds tooperation 604. Here, operation 604 is an operation of determiningwhether consumed current is temporarily increased due to an arbitraryoperation in a case that the mobile device performs the arbitraryoperation. The mobile device determines whether amount of consumedcurrent of the mobile device is less than a predetermined currentthreshold value at operation 604. If the amount of the consumed currentof the mobile device is greater than or equal to the predeterminedcurrent threshold value, the mobile device determines that consumedcurrent is temporarily increased due to the arbitrary operation, andproceeds to operation 608. The mobile device increases the BLE scanperiod by a predetermined level, e.g., one level at operation 608.

If the amount of the consumed current of the mobile device is less thanthe predetermined current threshold value, the mobile device determinesthat consumed current is not temporarily increased due to the arbitraryoperation, and proceeds to operation 606. The mobile device maintains aBLE scan period at operation 606.

Although FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of a process ofredetermining a BLE scan period in a mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various changes could be made to FIG. 6. For example,although shown as a series of operations, various operations in FIG. 6could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, if there isa service which is being run through a Wi-Fi scheme, a BLE scan periodmay be maintained, or the BLE scan period may be increased by apredetermined level, or a BLE scan operation may be temporarily stopped.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, if throughput of aWi-Fi connection is greater than threshold throughput, or a transmissionretry count of the Wi-Fi connection is greater than a threshold count, aBLE scan period may be increased by a predetermined level, or a BLE scanoperation may be temporarily stopped.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, whether a protocol usedfor transmitting and receiving a signal through a Wi-Fi connection is atransmission control protocol (TCP) or a user datagram protocol (UDP)may be a criterion for redetermining a BLE scan period.

Generally, a TCP is used on an application which requires a relativelyhigh reliability, so a scan window may be set to a relatively short scanwindow and a scan interval may be set to a relatively scan interval suchthat a Wi-Fi connection is deactivated and throughput is fast recoveredif the TCP is used on the Wi-Fi connection.

A UDP is used on an application which transmits relatively simple dataat a relatively high data rate, so a scan window and a scan interval maybe set to a relatively long scan window and a relatively long scaninterval, respectively.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, amount of data which isscanned through a BLE scan operation may be considered as a criterionfor redetermining a BLE scan period. For example, if there is no datawhich is scanned during a corresponding scan window, a BLE scan periodof a default level may be increased by a predetermined level. If thereis data which is scanned during the corresponding scan window, the BLEscan period of the default level may be decreased by a predeterminedlevel.

For another example, importance of data which is scanned through a BLEscan operation may be considered as a criterion for redetermining a BLEscan period. For example, if data which a mobile device does not requireis received during a BLE scan period, a BLE scan period of a defaultlevel may be increased by a predetermined level. If data which themobile device requires is received during the BLE scan period, the BLEscan period of the default level may be decreased by a predeterminedlevel.

A criterion for redetermining a BLE scan period according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may be determined based on at leastone of or a combination of at least two of various examples as describedabove. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, forconvenience, it will be assumed that change in a BLE scan periodincludes change in at least one of a BLE scan interval and a BLE scanperiod.

An inner structure of a mobile device in a wireless communication systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates an inner structure of a mobile devicein a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, a mobile device 700 includes, for example, aprocessor 702, a transceiver 704, a scan period redeterminor 706, and ascan period redetermination criterion selector 708.

An inner structure of the mobile device 700 as shown in FIG. 7 is onlyone example, and components included in the mobile device 700 may bevaried according to intention of a provider or various embodiments.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 702may activate a BLE function for detecting a signal for a connection withan external device and redetermine a BLE scan period according tocriteria as described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, 5A to 5C, and6. For this, the processor 702 determines whether a service whichcorresponds to a signal discovered during a BLE scan period is areal-time service, and determines to redetermine a BLE scan period ifthe service which corresponds to the discovered signal is not thereal-time service.

As described in FIGS. 5A to 5C, and 6, the scan period redeterminationcriterion selector 708 may determine one of or a combination of two ormore of whether a main connectivity scheme of the mobile device 700 isactivated, that is, whether a main connectivity is on, state informationof the main connectivity scheme, remaining battery of the mobile device700, and a use history of scan information of the mobile device 700 as acriterion for redetermining the BLE scan period. Further, the scanperiod redetermination criterion selector 708 may determine amount ofdata detected during a BLE scan period, and importance of the detecteddata as the criterion for redetermining the BLE scan period.

The scan period redeterminor 706 may determine to change a BLE scanperiod by comparing a criterion selected from the scan periodredetermination criterion selector 708 with a predetermined thresholdvalue. Here, a changing operation has been described with reference toFIGS. 5A to 5C and 6, and a detailed description thereof will be omittedherein.

The transceiver 704 detects a signal of a sub-connection according to aBLE scan period redetermined by the scan period redeterminor 706.

While the processor 702, the transceiver 704, the scan periodredeterminor 706, and the scan period redetermination criterion selector708 are described in the mobile device 700 as separate units, it is tobe understood that this is merely for convenience of description. Inother words, the processor 702, the transceiver 704, the scan periodredeterminor 706, and the scan period redetermination criterion selector708 may be incorporated into a single unit.

Further, the mobile device 700 may be implemented as a form including atransmitter, a processor, a receiver, and a memory.

The processor controls the overall operation of the mobile device 700.More particularly, the processor controls an operation of controlling ascan period according to an embodiment of the present disclosureincluding an operation of controlling a scan period to detect a signalfor a short range communication by considering a service which is beingused in the mobile device 700, an operation of adaptively controlling ascan period to detect a signal for a short range communication byconsidering state information of a service being used, remaining batteryof the mobile device 700, a use history for scan information of themobile device 700, and/or the like. The operation of controlling thescan period according to an embodiment of the present disclosure hasbeen described with FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5A to 5C, and 6, and adetailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The transmitter transmits various signals and various messages to otherdevice, a device, and/or the like under a control of the processor. Thevarious signals and various messages transmitted in the transmitter havebeen described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5A to 5C, and 6,and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The receiver receives various signals and various messages from theother device, the device, and/or the like under a control of theprocessor. The various signals and various messages received in thereceiver have been described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5Ato 5C, and 6, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The memory stores various programs, various data, and/or the likerelated to the operation of controlling the scan period according to anembodiment of the present disclosure including the operation ofcontrolling the scan period to detect the signal for the short rangecommunication by considering the service which is being used in themobile device 700, the operation of adaptively controlling the scanperiod to detect the signal for the short range communication byconsidering the state information of the service being used, theremaining battery of the mobile device 700, the use history for the scaninformation of the mobile device 700, and/or the like.

The memory stores various signals and various messages which arereceived by the receiver from the other mobile devices, the device,and/or the like.

A case that the mobile device 700 is implemented with separate unitssuch as the transmitter, the processor, the receiver, and the memory hasbeen described above, however, the mobile device 700 may be implementedas a form in which two or more of the transmitter, the processor, thereceiver, and the memory are incorporated into a single unit.

The mobile device 700 may be implemented with at least one processor.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure may also be embodied ascomputer readable code on a non-transitory computer readable recordingmedium. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium is any datastorage device that can store data, which can be thereafter read by acomputer system. Examples of the non-transitory computer readablerecording medium include read only memory (ROM), random access memory(RAM), compact disc (CD)-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, opticaldata storage devices, and carrier waves (such as data transmissionthrough the Internet). The non-transitory computer readable recordingmedium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems sothat the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributedfashion. In addition, functional programs, code, and code segments foraccomplishing the present disclosure can be easily construed byprogrammers skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

It can be appreciated that a method and apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware,software and/or a combination thereof. The software may be stored in anon-volatile storage, for example, an erasable or re-writable ROM, amemory, for example, a RAM, a memory chip, a memory device, or a memoryintegrated circuit (IC), or an optically or magnetically recordablenon-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable), storagemedium (e.g., a CD, a DVD), a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, and/or thelike). A method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be implemented by a computer or a mobile terminal thatincludes a processor and a memory, and the memory may be an example of anon-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable), storagemedium suitable to store a program or programs including instructionsfor implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure may include a program including code forimplementing the apparatus and method as defined by the appended claims,and a non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable), storagemedium storing the program. The program may be electronicallytransferred via any media, such as communication signals, which aretransmitted through wired and/or wireless connections, and the presentdisclosure may include their equivalents.

An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure mayreceive the program from a program providing device which is connectedto the apparatus via a wire or a wireless and store the program. Theprogram providing device may include a memory for storing instructionswhich instruct to perform a content protect method which has beenalready installed, information necessary for the content protect method,and the like, a transceiver for performing a wired or a wirelesscommunication with a graphic processing device, and a processor fortransmitting a related program to a transmitting/receiving device basedon a request of the graphic processing device or automaticallytransmitting the related program to the transmitting/receiving device.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a scan period in amobile device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:determining whether a scan period of a first connectivity scheme ischangeable based on a service discovered during the scan period of thefirst connectivity scheme; if the scan period of the first connectivityis changeable, detecting a state of a second connectivity scheme; andchanging the scan period of the first connectivity scheme based on thedetected state of the second connectivity scheme.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the determining of whether the scan period of the firstconnectivity scheme is changeable based on the discovered servicecomprises determining that the scan period of the first connectivityscheme is changeable if the discovered service is not a real-timeservice.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the state ofthe second connectivity scheme if the scan period of the firstconnectivity scheme is changeable comprises determining whether aconnection between the mobile device and another device through thesecond connectivity scheme is possible.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the changing of the scan period of the first connectivity schemebased on the detected state of the second connectivity scheme comprisesone of: decreasing the scan period of the first connectivity scheme by apredetermined amount of time if the connection between the mobile deviceand the other device through the second connectivity scheme is notpossible, or increasing the scan period of the first connectivity schemeby a predetermined amount of time if the mobile device is connected tothe other device through the second connectivity scheme and a service isusing the second connectivity scheme.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe state of the second connectivity scheme is determined based on atleast one of a throughput of the second connectivity scheme or atransmission retry count for the second connectivity scheme.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the changing of the scan period of the firstconnectivity scheme comprises the changing of the scan period of thefirst connectivity scheme based on at least one of a remaining batteryof the mobile device, a consumed amount or current, a usage history forscan information of the first connectivity scheme, an amount of datascanned during the scan period, or an importance of the data scannedduring the scan period.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstconnectivity scheme uses a part of a used frequency band of the secondconnectivity scheme.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondconnectivity scheme is deactivated during the scan period.
 9. The methodof claim 1, wherein each of the first connectivity scheme and the secondconnectivity scheme performs a time division multiplexing (TDM)communication operation on a same frequency band.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the scan period of the first connectivity schemeincludes a scan window as a time duration for scanning a signal detectedthrough the first connectivity scheme and a scan interval as a period bywhich the scan window is repeated.
 11. A mobile device in a wirelesscommunication system, the mobile device comprising: at least oneprocessor configured to: determine whether a scan period of a firstconnectivity scheme is changeable based on a service discovered duringthe scan period of the first connectivity scheme, detect a state of asecond connectivity scheme if the scan period of the first connectivityis changeable, and change the scan period of the first connectivityscheme based on the detected state of the second connectivity scheme;and a transceiver configured to perform a scan operation under a controlof the at least one processor.
 12. The mobile device of claim 11,wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine that thescan period of the first connectivity scheme is changeable if thediscovered service is not a real-time service.
 13. The mobile device ofclaim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determinewhether a connection between the mobile device and another devicethrough the second connectivity scheme is possible if the scan period ofthe first connectivity scheme is changeable.
 14. The mobile device ofclaim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to one of:decrease the scan period of the first connectivity scheme by apredetermined amount of time if the connection between the mobile deviceand the other device through the second connectivity scheme is notpossible, or increase the scan period of the first connectivity schemeby a predetermined amount of time if the mobile device is connected tothe other device through the second connectivity scheme and a service isusing the second connectivity scheme exists.
 15. The mobile device ofclaim 11, wherein the state of the second connectivity scheme isdetermined based on at least one of a throughput of the secondconnectivity scheme or a transmission retry count for the secondconnectivity scheme.
 16. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the atleast one processor is configured to change the scan period of the firstconnectivity scheme based on at least one of a remaining battery of themobile device, a consumed amount of current, a usage history for scaninformation of the first connectivity scheme, an amount of data scannedduring the scan period, or an importance of the data scanned during thescan period.
 17. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the firstconnectivity scheme uses a part of a used frequency band of the secondconnectivity scheme.
 18. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein thesecond connectivity scheme is deactivated during the scan period. 19.The mobile device of claim 11, wherein each of the first connectivityscheme and the second connectivity scheme performs a time divisionmultiplexing (TDM) communication operation on a same frequency band. 20.The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the scan period of the firstconnectivity scheme includes a scan window as a time duration forscanning a signal detected through the first connectivity scheme and ascan interval as a period by which the scan window is repeated.